


a young fit in wildfire

by sunnymygal



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, fluffy maiko bc i love them, izumi learning to walk, yeah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:00:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27210019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnymygal/pseuds/sunnymygal
Summary: Zuko opens his mouth to retaliate, but Sokka interrupts them with a shout of “Hey lovebirds, stop being cute and join us!” He waves a Pai Sho tile at them, while Katara and Aang get ready to destroy each other. Mai’s chest constricts with feeling, like everything is hitting her all at once. Her daughter giggles from the ground, somehow sensing her light mood.Mai picks her up, setting her on her hip and tangling her fingers through Zuko’s.It’s a wonderful feeling, being happy.
Relationships: Mai/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 102
Collections: Fall Maiko Week 2020





	a young fit in wildfire

**Author's Note:**

> title from white noise by flor !
> 
> @soft-zuko made some awesome art for this!! [here it is! ](https://soft-zuko.tumblr.com/post/633056253240819713/maikoweek-izumis-first-steps-based-on-this-fic)

  
  


Mai hands her daughter to Katara, who’s own belly is swollen with Bumi II. Aang, Suki, and Sokka fawn over Izumi over Katara’s shoulder, cooing when Izumi gives a small gummy smile. Mai doesn’t miss the subtle glance Suki exchanges with her husband, smiling inwardly.

Their friend group has grown much closer over the years, despite the distance between them. Katara being Chief and Suki leading the Kyoshi Warriors makes them busy people, but somehow they’ve found time to keep up. Mai catches a glimpse of the bags under Katara’s eyes, and thinks that if the lot of them hadn’t kept up, some of them wouldn’t be here today.

But that’s neither here nor there, so she shakes herself out of her daze and talks to Suki about what’s been going on in Kyoshi Island. They’re due for a visit, and Mai wants to show Izumi the beauty of the landscape. She makes a mental note to talk to Zuko about it.

The door to the hallway they’re all waiting in opens, Zuko walking out and trying to fend off the seven councilmember’s last ditch efforts to get him to sign some policy he’d disagreed with earlier. His eyes lighten when he sees the group, walking over and placing a light kiss on Mai’s head. 

Aang’s the first to draw him into a long, crushing hug, followed by Katara gingerly placing her arms around him so as to not harm the baby inside her. Sokka and Suki attack him at once, nearly toppling him over. Ty Lee joins in, jumping on Zuko’s back. Mai smiles at their antics. _It’s been too long._

They migrate to the courtyard, Zuko taking Izumi from Katara and slippin an arm around Mai. She leans into him, having missed his warmth from early this morning. “Next time a councilmember interrupts our morning cuddles,” she says, “I’m throwing a knife at the door.” 

Zuko snorts, putting Izumi down on a blanket and wrapping his arms fully around his wife. “Right, because that’s not illegal or anything.” 

“Nothing’s illegal when you’re this damn pretty.”

“Mai, if you kill a councilmember, I can’t pardon you.” She pokes his chest. 

“Only because you’re a coward.”

Zuko opens his mouth to retaliate, but Sokka interrupts them with a shout of “ _Hey lovebirds, stop being cute and join us!”_ He waves a Pai Sho tile at them, while Katara and Aang get ready to destroy each other. Mai’s chest constricts with feeling, like everything is hitting her all at once. Her daughter giggles from the ground, somehow sensing her light mood. 

Mai picks her up, setting her on her hip and tangling her fingers through Zuko’s. 

It’s a wonderful feeling, being happy.

  
  


_“Izumi, put the war fans down!”_

Predictably, Izumi does not listen.

Somehow, she managed to open the drawer, take out the metal fan and snap it open. All in the span of five minutes, while Zuko read over some trade agreements. He darts over, trying to pry the weapon out of her hands without being too rough. 

“Come on, Izu, give the war fan to me- _dammit!”_ Izumi falls over on her back, giggling and waving the fan in the air. It narrowly misses Zuko’s nose, but cuts off part of his hair. “Oh, Izu, now you’ve really done it,” he says. 

Izumi rolls out from under him, crawling away to the door. Zuko swoops her up before she can go outside, gingerly taking the weapon from her hands. Izumi makes the face she always makes when she’s about to cry- eyes wide and lower lip jutting out. Zuko quickly sets the war fan down, far away from where his daughter can get it, and begins to bounce her up and down the way he’s seen Aang do it with the newborns in the Southern Water Tribe. He’s a bit clumsy, and a tad too gentle, but it distracts Izumi from her “toy” so he counts it as a win. 

She yawns, her mouth forming a little “o,” and Zuko realizes how small and tiny she is. And yet, Mai had gone through so much pain just to bring her out into the world. And that wasn’t even all- Mai had suffered so much during the nine months she was pregnant. Zuko did all he could to support her, but he knew he really would never understand the experience. He’d vowed to never leave either of his girls’ sides until the day he died, and when he saw Mai gazing down at the child she’d created, he knew he’d never break it. 

“You look just like your mother, you know that?” Izumi blinks up at him fists rubbing at her eyes. The sun is setting, so it makes sense she’s beginning to tire out. Zuko shifts her so she’s resting on his chest. “You both have the same sharp, stunning eyes. Oh, and you’re both stubborn as hell, never forget that.” He smiles to himself, memories flooding back. “You’re so lucky to have her, Izu. We’re so lucky to have her. She’s kind, and strong, and knows what she wants and how to get it. She knows she’s not perfect, and she’s done not-so-perfect things, but she’s tried to hard to correct it. She’s compassionate, and loving, and the best mother you could ask for.” 

“She’s also pretty annoyed at you for making her cry in the middle of the evening.” 

Zuko spins around at the sound of Mai’s voice, and she snorts at the delighted smile on his face. “Hey, I didn’t know you guys were back.” He sets Izumi down at her insistence. “How was the hike?” 

Mai wipes the few errant tears off her face, wrapping her arms around Zuko’s neck and drawing him down for a chaste kiss. “Oh, you know. The usual. Sokka stubbed his toe, Aang hit his head on a branch, and Katara refused to heal them because they’ve grown ‘too damn weak.’ Nothing new.” Zuko chuckles at his friends’ antics. 

“And yet, every year, you return to Kyoshi Island for the Autumn Festivals. Without fail.”

“You know I’m a slut for moon peaches.”

“Oh, yeah. I know, trust me.” Mai gives a mock-offended gasp and pushes his chest away. Grinning, Zuko kneels to gather up his materials while Mai helps Izumi stand. She hasn’t quite taken steps yet, but she’s stood for a couple seconds despite the swaying. She holds on to her mother’s fingers, standing only to plop back onto her behind with a giggle. 

Izumi tries again, this time letting go of Mai’s hands when she’s upright. Her face is pinched in concentration, arms waving out to the side to keep her balance. Mai shuffles away, letting Izumi take a few steps. 

Izumi lifts her leg, and Zuko freezes.

She steps forward. The moment is hushed, quiet. 

She takes another. Mai’s eyes widen, and she inhales sharply. 

Izumi looks up at her father, a giant smile stretched across her face. Then, she falls. 

Mai tells Zuko to sit across from her, scooping Izumi up. “Cmon, Izu, you can do it. Try again.” He kneels, reaching his arms out. Mai sets her down, gently pushing her forward. Izumi takes a few wobbly, short steps, falling into Zuko’s arms and looking up with a gummy smile. Zuko meets Mai’s eyes over his daughter's head, her eyes glistening with tears. He offers a wobbly smile in return. 

His baby girl is growing up, and somehow, he’s totally fine with that. 

**Author's Note:**

> apologies for not indenting, i was just lazy and ao3 doesn't import the indents. 
> 
> comments make my heart go uwu :]
> 
> thanks for reading !


End file.
